Overview
We tested both approaches with 11 women and 9 men at Wagliga CHPS compound and Chaina health centre. These were divided in 2 separate groups to enable both genders share their views more comfortably. In general, men seemed to interprete the pictures more accurately as opposed to the women. Men also seemed more literate and could read a few words unlike their female counterparts.
Cartoon Vs Photos
Photos were preferred to the cartoons and these were interpreted more accurately. Photograph (d) below, “Helping baby grow” was most loved. Coincidentally both sexes chose it as their best. While women liked it because they admired the healthy, smiling babies while men liked it because they learn from the picture what they need to provide for their own babies to look like them. Men also mentioned that the children in the picture are well taken care of by their parents by the way they look. Women wanted their children to be like them.
Most disliked by the women was the 080 020 6001 picture because they were seeing people making their own phone calls. Men disliked the 6001 picture most because to them all the people in it looked sick!
Documented below are responses got to each picture. Male responses in italics.
Cartoon approach
080 020 6001
- Not Ghanaians from the dress code
- See people holding their phones
- Don’t know why they are calling and who it is
- They see a number to call in case of an emergency e.g. fire, ambulance
- A boy standing holding his ears
- People are standing in a queue
- Pregnant woman making a call
- A man is sneaking into a man’s phone call
- There are 2 young unmarried ladies
6001
- They see a pregnant woman, a doctor, 2 friends and a mother
- These are people at an outreach
- Didn’t seem to get the whole picture of people Smsing
- Mother talking to her baby
- Mother going for ANC
- Mother calling for help because she is labour
- They are reading a text message
- They look like modern Ghanaians
- One of the girls feels shy to say something they want to say
Hotline
- Breastfeeding woman and mother trying to make a phone call
- “Here most women don’t have phones,” said one of the women
- Calling someone but they are not sure who. It could be a doctor or a nurse
- Pregnant woman is in labour
- Mother with child is taking her child for immunization
- "May be they are calling their husbands,” said one of the men present
Photographic approach
a. Breast milk
- They see a breast feeding mother
- A woman who wants to fight
- A woman waving bye
- Didn’t see the water bottle
- Woman with baby looks happy
- Woman waves hand to reject a message
- Woman looks like she wants to take some water
b. Start breast feeding baby
· Mother lying down for a baby to suck
· Why is the mother lying down while sucking? She is supposed to sit.
· Baby is too old for a new born
· They didn’t see/notice the nurse in the picture nor the watch
- Mother and child sleeping
- Child has breastfed and slept
- Woman’s breast look heavy indicating that baby was not born long before
- Baby appears to be troublesome and mother has to breastfeed while sleeping
- Looks like there is a person supporting or examining mother’s breast
c. The best protection
· Kind of food to give the baby
· 2 healthy babies
· All this food is not available here
· "Poverty can’t let us buy this food but it’s good to know in case we get the money we can buy,” said a pregnant woman.
· These look like Ghanaian babies
- One baby breastfeeding and the other eating because he is older
- Breastfeeding child is healthier that’s why the other mother is giving the baby food so he becomes like the breastfeeding one
- Mother is feeding older child with other healthy foods
d. Helping baby grow
· Very nice healthy babies
· Babies playing together
· Babies are fat because they eat healthy foods
· “Our babies are not as healthy because of poverty” lamented an old woman
· “We have no time to buy these foods” said another.
· They can see fish, eggs, black tea, groundnuts, beans, palm oil
- Children are playing happily with their toys
- There are different foods infront of the children
- The children are satisfied and happy
- It means the children are eating well
- “It means we should give and healthy food to our children,” said one of the men.
Durbars are community entry ceremonies that must be done in all of the 11 zones where we are working with Mobile Technology for Community Health (MoTeCH) . They include bringing offerings to the Chief, telling the community members about MoTeCH, dancing and hopefully getting the community members to formally “accept” MoTeCH as a valuable health service. Durbars last for several hours, usually take place under a tree and we’re holding them for all 11 zones this week so we can keep on schedule with our launch activities. 
